Australia’s Leading Pop Culture Conventions Now Part of World-Spanning Family of Expos

NORWALK, CT – February 10, 2014 – ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events, is today proud to announce a partnership with Oz Comic-Con, Australia’s leading series of pop culture conventions, that will add all five of Oz Comic-Con’s shows into the ReedPOP portfolio. Including its partnership with Oz Comic-Con, ReedPOP’s events now reach 600,000 attendees, welcome 3,000 exhibitors, showcase 2,000 guests, and occupy 4,000,000 gross square feet across 15 conventions on four continents around the world.

Since ReedPOP’s first event in 2006, the sold-out New York Comic Con, the group has sought to dually produce exceptional experiences for passionate audiences and grow the industries surrounding these passions, and this philosophy has led to burgeoning attendance, the support of major creators and publishers, and partnerships with leading entertainment brands including Lucasfilm (Star Wars Celebration), UFC (UFC Fan Expo), and Penny Arcade (PAX).

In recent years, ReedPOP has turned its attention internationally, recognizing new pop culture audiences emerging throughout the world, where it has produced once-in-a-lifetime experiences for these fans and connected exhibitors to hungry, unexplored markets. ReedPOP’s previous global events have been set in London, Germany, and Singapore. The company planted its biggest global flag to date last year with the launch of PAX Australia — bringing the US’s largest consumer video game festival to the continent with a sold-out event in Melbourne and creating a full-time ReedPOP office in Sydney.

And, today, ReedPOP’s Australian flag flies even higher as Oz Comic-Con joins this family. Since its creation in 2012 by DCA Enterprises, Oz Comic-Con has brought local creators and international celebrities together with devoted audiences, building a thriving event series that has welcomed 90,000 fans in 2013 and now spans Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Oz Comic-Con into ReedPOP,” Lance Fensterman, ReedPOP’s Global Senior Vice President, said. “Whether you’re in New York, London, or Melbourne, fans are collecting, consuming, and celebrating popular culture, and now together with Oz Comic-Con, we’ll be able to better serve them than either of us could do alone. With Oz Comic-Con’s local expertise and ReedPOP’s global relationships and knowledge, we’ll be building Oz Comic-Con into the kind of events Australia’s never seen before.”

“Over the past two years, Oz Comic-Con has created first class pop culture experiences, acting as a stage for local and international creativity,” Rand Ratinac, Director of DCA Enterprises, stated. “Our partnership with ReedPOP elevates Oz Comic-Con within the competitive international market, truly putting Australia on the map for pop culture events and opening the door for remarkable opportunities that will carry on through to our attendees, supporters, guests, and exhibitors.”

ReedPOP’s relationship with Oz Comic-Con will see its Australian office further expand to take on Oz Comic-Con’s five businesses in collaboration with creators and current producers, DCA Enterprises, and strategic support from ReedPOP’s New York Comic Con team in the USA.

“Last year’s PAX Australia went beyond our wildest expectations, and we look forward to that fun, love, and community continuing at Oz Comic-Con,” Bernadette Neumann, ReedPOP Australia Event Director, said. “We’re excited to blend New York Comic Con’s experience with DCA’s understanding of the local market, something that’s unprecedented in Australia, and in the pop culture world at large. We can’t wait to share what we create with all of Oz Comic-Con’s current and new fans!”

ReedPOP’s relationship with Oz Comic-Con will begin at Oz Comic-Con’s upcoming Perth and Adelaide events, and ReedPOP looks to further bolster its reach with additional domestic and international announcements in the coming year. The organizer is actively exploring new projects throughout Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East.
“We look to be able to present killer brands, personalities, and content in marketplaces around the planet, and our partnership with Oz Comic-Con is a massive step toward this,” Fensterman said. “We want to work with the best people to build the greatest experiences for our customers wherever they may be, and we look forward to Oz Comic-Con being part of this adventure with us!”

More information on what the ReedPOP-Oz Comic-Con partnership will mean for attendees, exhibitors, talent, and sponsors will be revealed in the coming weeks as ReedPOP and DCA Enterprises work together on Oz Comic-Con’s 2014 series of events. This year’s Oz Comic-Con dates: Perth (Mar 29-30), Adelaide (Apr 5-6), Melbourne (July 5-6), Brisbane (Sept 6-7), and Sydney (Sept 13-14).

About ReedPOP
ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions, which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Prime, East and Australia, Star Wars Celebration, and the UFC Fan Expo. In 2013 ReedPOP (has) added Star Wars Celebration Europe and PAX Australia to its rapidly expanding portfolio of international events. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific (including Australia). (www.reedpop.com)

About Oz Comic-Con
Oz Comic-Con Oz Comic-Con produces pop culture expos across Australia that celebrate TV shows, movies, comic books, graphic novels, anime, and gaming. The events feature multi-genre content from across the spectrum – appearances by film and television stars, comic book artists and voice actors; gaming demonstrations and cosplay competitions; creative workshops and master classes; and hard-to-find merchandise. Oz Comic-Con proudly supports local Australian talent and businesses in many areas, providing a platform to showcase Australian creativity and endeavors. Oz Comic-Con was created by DCA Enterprises, the Sydney-based company also responsible for The Hub Productions’ intimate pop culture events. (www.ozcomiccon.com)